NVLD article -- check this out :) -- you can be "smart&

I have to take a little bow for our little Boston area NLD group. (www.NLDsupport.org) The parent who started the group put the bug in this reporter’s ear, and then Jessie (one of our Sterring Committee members, and Dan’s Mom in the article) did a super job with her personal interview. Several of us other parents in the group were also interviewed by phone. (my son is the one mentioned who noticed the camera reflected in Harry Potter’s glasses) I think Jessie really gave the reporter a good sense of direction in terms of how hard it is to find the right kind of help for NLD kids. I think the comments of some of the school SPED people spoke for itself :-/

Karen

I have a friend whose 13-yr-old boy has been diagnosed as having
Asperger’s Syndrome.

He sounds a lot like the children in the article.

Can you tell me the differences between Asperger’s and NVLD?

Anne

Well, I’m certainly not an expert, so I can only tell you my observations from the perspective of the mom of an NLD child. And what I’ve read about Aspergers, and observed in the few children I know who have that dx. There is a large amount of overlap between NLD and AS, (Byron Rourke sueegests that as much as 70% of the AS population is also NLD) but it is not a complete overlap. Some professionals feel that it’s a matter of degree, with NLD kids falling on the low end and Asperger’s on the higher end of the same spectrum. (though I have a hard time with that one, personally)

AS people tend to have less visual/spatial difficulties than NLD people, and some have excellent visual/spatial skills. Many AS people are also good at math, while the majority (though not all) of NLD’ers are weaker in that area.

AS people tend to have more social difficulties than NLD people. Many NLD children struggle for years without help because they seem so “normal” on a casual level. Children with AS are likely to be noticed as a little “different” earlier in their school careers, and often have more difficult behavior issues. NLD kids tend to be branded as “bright but lazy” or “not working up to potential”, while AS kids tend to fall apart and act out, getting themselves labeled as “behavior problems” or “emotionally disturbed” before their real problems are recognized.

While I don’t have a lot of first hand knowledge of these characteristics, from what I’ve read, AS people often have very narrow and extreme interests that border on obsessions. They are also supposedly less interested in social contact than NLD kids. (NLD kids might no be good at social stuff, but they really want it)

Hope that helps. I believe there are a number of articles on both disorders on this web site.

Karen

Thanks, Karen!

What you said makes sense to me.

I can also see the difference between my friend’s son and
NVLD children.

You have a knack for explaining things :-)

Anne

Thanks. I like words. I think I’ve got a bit of those NLD genes myself ;-)

Karen